Blinded
by Strawberry4evr
Summary: After Edward destroyed Victoria, there was another vampire hiding in the side lines. Edward got bitten, but it seems there's something in the venom that can leave a vampire blind. How will the family cope with a now blind Edward? ONESHOT (for now)
1. Chapter 1

**Bella's POV**

I watched in horror as another vampire jumped over the flames slowly burning Victoria's body. It wasn't Riley, but it was definitely a newborn. He went straight for Edward's throat, biting deeply into it before my love managed to throw him off and into the fire.

"Edward?" I ask quietly as he stands still in front of me, his hand clasped to his neck.

"It's okay, Bella," He replies, "Just stay there for a second." As he says this, he blinks rapidly, before gasping, staggering backwards, and collapsing.

"Edward!" I scream, running towards him; he holds up a hand.

"No, Bella, stay away," He orders without looking up, keeping one hand over his eyes. "I'm so sorry, but you need to get Carlisle. I can't move right now."

"Okay," I whisper, standing up and running towards the pillar of smoke, and where Seth disappeared to a while ago.

"Don't go far!" I hear him call, although his voice seems weak now. "If you shout loud enough one of them might be able to hear you from here."

I nod, even though I know he's not looking at me. "Carlisle!" I scream as loud as I can "We need help!" I walk forwards slightly. "Carlisle! Please!"

**Carlisle's POV**

We stand still as stone as the Volturi leave. Edward and Bella have yet to return. "You don't think the Volturi got them do you?" Alice asks quietly.

"No, honey," Jasper reassures her. "They're probably just spending a little time together before they get back. They haven't a private moment in a while."

"None of us have," Emmett laughs. "What do you suppose they're doing?"

Suddenly Jasper's head snaps up, looking towards the mountainside Edward and Bella located themselves. "Do you hear that?" He hisses.

Esme's head snaps up next. We are used to Jasper hearing things before us, as his time in the south heightened his senses. But if Esme hears something before the rest of us...

It means one of her children are in danger.

We all hear it then; even Rosalie's head snaps up in worry. "Carlisle!" Bella's voice is faint, but it's there. "Carlisle! Please!" Her voice is desperate, and it heightens our worry. It's also hoarse, which means she's been shouting for a while. "Carlisle! We need your help! _Please!"_

We all begin running towards the sound. I hang back a second and turn to Seth, who came back after the Volturi left. "Tell Sam I'll be there as soon I can," I tell him. "But we think Edward or Bella has been hurt, and we need to sort it out quickly."

He nods before running off in the opposite direction. Taking a deep breath, I run after my family towards the sound of Bella's voice, which gets louder with every step. I overtake the others with ease and reach her first. "Bella," I murmur, holding her shoulders and looking her in the eye. "Are you okay? Where's Edward?"

"He's back there," She whispers, pointing behind her. "There was another one... He bit Edward... I'm sorry."

Suddenly she collapses, and I look down to find dried blood on her arm. That and the day itself has taken it's toll. "Alice," I say, turning around.

"I know," She smiles slightly, taking Bella out my arms and disappearing.

"That's what this is about?" Jasper almost seethes, rushing up to me. "Edward got bitten, so Bella screamed for us? Edward could have run down there himself no problem."

"I know, son," I answer cautiously. "That's what makes me think it's not the whole story."

We follow Bella's scent to the clearing they were staying in. We see the tent, and the fire... And Edward hunched over, one hand over his neck, and one hand over his eyes. I walk towards him, gently touching his shoulder with my hand.

He jumps backwards immediately, flying into the snow behind him, his eyes unfocused and frightened. "Son?" I say, more than loud enough for him to hear.

"Carlisle?" He says, looking towards Jasper, who is next to Emmett, who is next to me.

"Edward..." I say slowly, and his head snaps towards Esme, who is on my other side. "What's happened?"

I walk forward and put another hand on his shoulder. This time he grabs onto my shoulders, almost as if he were drowning and I were his only hope. "Carlisle," He gasps, scrambling to stand up and almost pulling us both down in the process. "Carlisle!"

"What's wrong, son?" I whisper, although I think I already know.

"I can't see," He chokes, and the rest of the family's eyes widen. "There was something in... Something in his venom. But I destroyed him before I went blind. I didn't know. I didn't know."

Without another word Esme walks forwards and takes one of his arms. Together we guide him as quickly as we can across the forest floor while Rosalie walks behind us and Jasper and Emmett pack up the tent. _You need to step over a rock in a second son._ I think, but he winces.

"Carlisle..." He says, while stepping over the rock. "Could you say it out loud? It's too much to process if everything is in my head."

We walk without any trouble for a while before he speaks again. "Where's Bella?" He asks.

"Alice took her home," Surprisingly, it's Rosalie who replies.

Edward hesitates before whispering. "Did Rosalie or Esme say that?"

I almost freeze in shock; Rosalie certainly does. "Can you not tell?" I ask.

"No," He shakes his head. "I don't know why. My hearing... It's not as good as it was before. I don't know."

"It's alright," I say. "Maybe the venom dimmed your hearing. The bite was very close to your ear."

As I say this I look over the bite and see the venom soaking into his skin. "Edward... I'm going to have to carry you. We need to get home soon."

"Okay," He answers, and I pull him into my arms and begin running. I hear Esme, Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper behind me. When we get home I place him on the couch and run upstairs to get a syringe and a small bottle. Gently, and put the needle up to the bite mark and remove most of the venom before putting it into the small better. The bite has already started to heal.

Jasper sits next to Edward on the couch. "Hey buddy," He says to his brother. "Are you okay?"

"I may be blind," Edward replies with an angry edge. "But that doesn't mean I'm five."

Laughing, Emmett sits next to Jasper. "Well, I'm glad you're still yourself." Edward smiles.

"What are you going to do with the venom?" Jasper asks me with interest in his voice. Emmett and Edward look at me, or in my general direction.

"Analyse it," I answer, putting it up to the light. It looks normal, except it has a slight red tinge, which isn't unusual if the vampire had recently hunted. But now there's no way of telling. "There might be a way to reverse the blindness."

"And if there isn't?" Esme whispers. Jasper and Emmett hear her, but Edward doesn't seem to.

I sigh before answering. "Then our son is blind."

The next hour is spent in my office examining the venom. I sigh as I finish. "Esme," I call, and she's in my office immediately. "Tell Alice to let Bella know we're going to Denali for a while. I need Eleazer's opinion, and if there's nothing he can do... Then Edward needs some time away to cope with the dark."

**Bella's POV **

I wake up in Alice's car to find Alice sitting next to me. "Alice," I groan, and she turns to me. She looks like she's going to cry. "What happened to Edward?"

"Uh." Alice seems at war with herself. "There was something in the venom..."

"What?" I ask urgently, tears already beginning to form.

"Edward's blind," She finally answers, looking me in the eye. Tears fall down my face.

I need a minute to reply. "Permanently?"

"We think so," Alice says, and I'm glad she's being truthful. "We might be leaving."

The hole in my chest opens immediately and my breathing become laboured. They promised. They promised they wouldn't leave again. _He_ promised he wouldn't leave again. "Bella!" Alice exclaims. "Not like that! We're just visiting family in Denali. Carlisle wants Eleazer's opinion and if there's nothing to be done then we think some time away might help Edward to cope."

"So it's not permanent?" I inquire, calming down slightly.

She shakes her head. "No, and we promise to call you all the time. Bella, when we promised we wouldn't leave like that again, we meant it."

"Okay," I nod, looking around. "Why am I in your car?"

"You were still unconscious, and Charlie was already home... I thought you might want to see Jacob first. He was hurt in the battle," She replies.

"Jacob was hurt?!"

She nods while turning the car on. "Would you like to see him?"

"Yes, please."

Alice drives me to the treaty line, where Carlisle is waiting. "I've already treated him," He tells me. "Both of them. Jacob's been asking for you. I'm allowed to drive you there and back."

The meeting with Jacob is short, and I don't remember much of it as all I can think of is Edward. As I clamber back into Carlisle's car I realise I can't even remember how bad Jake looked. I'm glad of that.

"Would you like me to explain our impending absence to Charlie?" Carlisle inquires. "I'm afraid he might be angry with us after last time."

"I have no doubt he will be," I reply, attempting a smile. "Should I tell him about Edward?"

He thinks about it for a moment for answering. "Yes. But tell him it might be temporary. If we can reverse it and Edward comes back fine I don't want him thinking we lied to him... He thinks that all of us - except Alice - went hiking this weekend, yes?" I nod. "Well... There are a lot of things in a forest that can make a man go blind."

Carlisle winks, and I laugh slightly, but it catches in my throat as I begin to cry silently. After everything that's happened with Jacob and Edward, the family I need most are leaving me. "Hey," My second father murmurs. "We're coming back remember? We'll call you all the time. We're not going to leave you like that again, Bella. Please, remember that."

"When are you going?" I ask, nodding along with him.

Sighing, he leans back in his seat. "Tonight, I'm afraid. We're not sure for how long... But if we're gone for more than a month then we promise to visit."

"Can't I say goodbye to him?"

He shakes his head. "If it was up to me, you'd be at ours until the moment we leave, but he doesn't want you to see him like this. He doesn't like admitting weakness. Oh, there's something else." I nod, urging him to continue. "The venom damaged his hearing, almost to the point where his hearing as the same as yours. We suspect, of course, but that is making everything a lot harder. It means he needs to be guided when he walks."

"Can't you mind-guide him?" I question, and Carlisle chuckles at my name for his son's talent.

"Unfortunately not," Carlisle admits. "He hates it. Its hard for him to concentrate as well, as there are so many other voices. It also means someone is constantly watching him. He doesn't like that, either."

I find myself nodding again, before I surprise myself by pulling him into a hug. "Bye," I say into his ear as he returns the hug. "Take care of him for me."

"Of course," He replies, pulling out of the hug. "Take care of yourself, for all of us. We'll see you soon Bella."

"Bye!" I call again, climbing out the car. Charlie is standing in the doorway as I approach.

"You were there for a while," He hisses, suspicion in his voice. "Was that Alice?"

"No," I say truthfully. "It was Carlisle. There was an accident while they were hiking, so they came back early."

His eyes narrow as he follows me into the kitchen. "What do you mean 'accident'?"

I bite my lip, surprised at how easily the lie slips out. "Edward hit his head."

"Amnesia?" Charlie guesses as he sees the tears on my face.

I shake me head, watching as a single tear lands on the linoleum floor. Finally I look up at my father. "He's blind."

"What?!" Charlie splutters, watching in horror as I nod. I begin to sob, and he pulls me into a hug, one hand running through my hair while I soak his shirt. "Poor kid must be scared out of his mind. Is it permanent?"

"They're not sure," I admit. "They've taken him to a hospital in Alaska. If it is permanent they said there are good blind schools up there too."

"They left?" Charlie seethes, pushing me away from him suddenly, but keeping a firm grip on my shoulders.

"Yes," I whisper, looking up at him; trying to gain courage. "But its not like before. I know where they are; Alice promised she'd call all the time. They'll visit."

He pulls me back into his arms, holding me tighter than before. "They'd better," He sighs, kissing my hair. "Could you get Carlisle to call me? It's not that I don't believe you, I'd just like to talk to him."

I nod, pulling away and saying goodnight before I walk up the stairs. Not half an hour later my phone rings. "Hey Alice," I grin, answering the phone. "How are you?"

**Carlisle's POV**

"I'm fine," My daughter replies. "That was a nice excuse for why Edward's gone blind. I guess he did hit his head, in a sense."

My other daughter laughs on the other end of the call. "Where are you now?"

"In a service station. We're running there, because it's faster, but Edward got annoyed at being carried all the time, so we stopped."

Bella sighs before saying. "Charlie wants to talk to Carlisle about that."

"I know," Alice sings, and Bella laughs again. I smile. "Let me talk to him."

"Dad!" We hear Bella call. "Dad! For Goodness sake I'm upstairs for half an hour and he's already hibernating like a bear..." We hear her mutter and Emmett and Esme laugh together, Emmett's booming laugh making many heads turn our way, including Edward's.

He's sitting a few tables away from us with Jasper and Rosalie, our Hale twins. Rosalie bought a few head rests and toys and they've been seeing if Edward can recognise what animal it is from touch alone. They all seem to be enjoying it.

"Carlisle?" Esme is tapping my shoulder, and Alice is holding a phone out to me. Emmett is making his way over to my other three children. "Charlie wants to talk to you."

"Oh," Is my reply as I take the phone from my daughter. The moment it's out of her hands she goes to sit next to her husband and her siblings. "Sorry about that," I say to Charlie.

"Don't apologise," He replies gruffly. "I'm sure you've got enough to think about. How is he?"

It takes me a second to reply. "I'm not sure," I answer with the truth. "At first he panicked for all of two minutes, and then he was arguing with his brothers as if nothing had happened, and now he's laughing while the twins are handing him stuffed animals to see if he can identify them."

To my surprise, Charlie chuckles lightly. "Well, your son never struck me as one who would readily admit weakness."

"That's true," I agree, smiling weakly. "That's very true. In fact it took him a while to tell us his eyesight was getting worse."

"Could I speak to him?" Charlie asks, surprising all of us. All of them except Edward look up, and I slowly make my way to their table with Esme at my side. "I promise I won't say anything bad."

"Of course," I tell him. "Edward, Charlie would like to talk to you."

His head snaps up towards my voice immediately with an almost comical look of surprise on his face. "Really?"

I smile slightly. "Yes. Here you go." Handing him the phone, we watch as he runs his thumb across the buttons to make sure he's holding it right before holding it up to his ear.

"Hello sir," Edward says in a shaky voice.

"Hey kid," Says Charlie, and I muffle a laugh. "How are you?"

"I'm alright now," My son replies, and we stare at him as if he's mad. "I'm not in pain anymore, at least, and the dark has never scared me."

"Well," Charlie's gruff voice falters for a moment. "I hope you're okay, and don't call me sir. It's Charlie."

"Thank you," Edward grins widely. "Thank you. How's Bella?"

Charlie seems speechless for an agonising moment, before he laughs loudly. "Dear God, Edward. You just went blind and you're wondering how Bella is?"

"Of course. I'm sure I scared her, or worried her at least."

"Well, she's okay. A little bit upset, and I'm sure very worried. I have to go now, take care of yourself."

"Of course. Goodbye."

"Bye."

"Right!" Esme announces after Edward has handed Alice's phone back to her. "We better get going if we want to get there by morning."

We nod in agreement, and as it's dark its easy to slip into the forest next to the service station without being noticed. Jasper immediately hauls Edward into his arms, while Rosalie still has the bag of stuffed animals, and we're off.

"Carlisle," Eleazer greets us as we arrive. "How are you?"

"I'm not as good as I would like to be," I answer, watching as Eleazer holds Edward by his shoulders and looks into his eyes. "I have a sample of the venom."

"Let me see it," Eleazer holds out his hand, still looking at Edward; I place the bottle into his hand. He disappears immediately.

"Edward!" Tanya exclaims, rushing to meet us. "Hello," She says to the rest of us before pulling Edward into a hug. He stiffens rather noticeably under her touch.

"Warning," Is all he manages before pulling away from her. Her touch seems to remind him of something, and suddenly his blank eyes widen. "Alice," He whines, on the brink of hyperventilating. My daughter stiffens for a moment, looking into her gift.

"Edward," She sighs, taking his face in between her hands and guiding him to kneel in the cold snow. "She's not going to leave because you're blind."

"But... the wedding," He groans, choking on small sobs. This is all so sudden that all we can do is stand and watch in horror as Alice attempts to comfort him. "She said yes."

"I know," Alice whispers in a comforting tone. "But my vision hasn't changed, I still see the wedding happening. She's not going to leave you."

"I wouldn't blame her if she did," Edward murmurs, closing his eyes with a tired expression.

Eleazer appears on my left. "Carlisle," He says, his voice quiet. "You better start going through some exercises with him. There's nothing to be done."


	2. Chapter 2

"Let's talk inside," I hiss, aware that every vampire within a three mile radius just heard that, and also aware that there is a chance Edward didn't. Eleazer allows himself to be dragged towards his own office, and once we get there I practically slam the door shut.

"Alice," I hear Edward whimper down the stairs. "What are they talking about?"

Alice sighs, "Nothing you need to worry about now."

I almost reprimand her for her lie, but then I realise that was probably the best answer for him at the moment. He doesn't need to worry now, especially when he's finally facing his fears. "How do you know it's permanent?" I inquire, trying to keep calm while facing my friend.

"This venom," He says, gesturing to the bottle in his hand, "Came from a talented vampire. I can tell what the talent is from the venom."

"Really?" I ask incredulously.

Eleazer nods, not minding the interruption. "Yes. It's nothing I've ever seen before. The venom is toxic, almost. If a human was to be bitten they would also go blind and they wouldn't turn into one of us, but considering it's venom from a newborn I doubt any blood was left in the human for that to be discovered. It also goes for the ears. It muffles the hearing to the extent of a human's, and it damages any talent the victim may have that may aid them in their blindness, that's why he can't stand to be spoken to in his mind."

Gritting my teeth, I nod. Then I look down at my shoes; at the floor. "We'll tell him now," I decide, wanting to get it over with. Esme appears at my side immediately. She smiles and takes my arm as we descend the stairs together, Eleazer just behind us. Everyone else is sitting in front of the fire in the sitting room, Edward with Alice in Jasper beside him, trying to calm him down.

"Edward," I murmur, kneeling to sit on the floor in front of him. Placing one of my hands on his knee, Esme sits on the arm of his chair and strokes his hair. "We've found that as a talented vampire did this to you, we can't reverse it. It is permanent, son. I'm so sorry."

He sits for several minutes, all of us watching him as he stares in my general direction. "No," He finally croaks out. "It can't be permanent. It can't be. It's not fair."

His voice is desperate and his pained expression breaks our hearts. "I know it's not fair, son," I say to him, trying to keep my voice steady. Esme places a comforting hand on my shoulder. "But now we know it's permanent, we can start to try and help you cope."

"I don't want to cope," Edward whispers. "I don't want to be blind."

"I know, sweetheart," Esme says soothingly. "It's not fair."

It takes the entire night to console him as he went through the many stages of trauma. At first there was denial, and then crying, and then silence, and then acceptance. The next morning found us all outside, with me just guiding Edward to join the rest. Jasper, Eleazer, Kate and Alice stand a few feet away from the front door, and one or two feet away from each other. I stop with Edward a few feet away from the four in front of us, and go to stand with everyone else who is standing to the side. "Carlisle!" Edward exclaims, panicking, having been abruptly left alone.

"It's okay, son," I reassure him. "You need to do this on your own. Walk towards Jasper."

He tries to steady his breathing, but fails miserably. I'm tempted to step forward to help him, but the moment I do Emmett pulls me back. "He needs to do it on his own," my son tells me, and I nod. Beside me, Esme looks like she's in pain.

"I don't know where Jasper is," Edward whimpers, standing still as stone. "I can't do this."

"You _can_," Surprisingly it's Emmett who says this, trying to help his brother. "Take a deep breath. Just follow the scent."

Edward takes another deep breath, but then proceeds to hyperventilate as he slowly takes one step forward. His shoes scuff the ground as his steps are unsteady and painful to watch. He is walking towards Eleazer, who is next to Kate, who has Jasper on her other side. But he is walking on his own, so it's all progress. "Carlisle," He whines again.

"You're doing great," I tell him, and even though he's nowhere near Jasper, he _is_ doing well.

Just as he's about three steps away from Eleazer, he takes another deep breath and frowns before turning left slightly. His steps become more hesitant as he changes his course, kicking up snow slightly as he shuffles. He stops in front of Kate for a moment, but inhales again and continues. Stopping in front of Jasper, his breathing becomes heavier. Edward isn't facing his brother, so he's unsure of where to go. "Jasper?" He whispers.

I nod to my blonde son, who grins and reaches out to take Edward's arm. "You did it!" Jasper cheers, and Edward smiles slightly. Jasper lets go of his arm. "Now... See if you can walk back to Carlisle."

My newly-vulnerable son looks ready to punch his brother, but calms quickly. He takes a deep breath, but I haven't been over there since we arrived, and I'm downwind of him, so he won't be able to smell me at all. Esme realises this at the same time I do, and calls out gently, "We're over here sweetheart."

He turns at the sound of Esme's voice, but he's a bit off. He's walking towards Alice now, who is several feet away from us. "Edward," I call, and he turns towards us completely. I smile. As he walks, he keeps his hands in front of him, his expression still panicked. Emmett inhales sharply, not used to seeing his once independent, brooding brother looking so vulnerable. Unable to walk any further without fully panicking, Edward stops a few feet away from us.

"I can't," He mutters, lowering his hands and attempting to take one more step, but his nerves take over and he trips slightly. I dart forward to steady him before he falls.

"That's enough for today," I announce, and everyone grins at the amount of progress he made in just one day. Edward's breathing steadies the moment I begin to guide him inside.

Later that night, Edward is upstairs with Rosalie while she teaches him brail, which she learnt just before Emmett joined our family. When we asked her about it, she said she was bored, so she learnt brail. She has been keeping track of any changes in it since. Everyone else is reading or talking as we sit in front of the fire. I look up at my daughter. "Did you tell Bella?"

"That it's permanent?" Alice questions. I nod. "Yes."

"How did she take it?" Emmett inquires, genuinely curious, and worried for his fragile little sister.

Alice sighs. "She cried a little bit, but just because she's worried for him. She wants to see him. I was thinking of arranging for her to come up here in a week or two, as a surprise for Edward. It is his birthday soon."

"Maybe we could have her arrive here on his birthday," Esme suggests, and we smile at the idea. "I know we don't celebrate anymore, but it might be nice after everything that's happened."

That decided it, and a week later, on the nineteenth of June, I find myself on the road back to Forks on the pretense that I'm needed for emergency surgery at the hospital. I'm actually going to pick up Bella, as unfortunately her truck has recently given up, and I'm unsure whether she can afford another car any time soon. Also, Charlie would be a lot happier if she was making her way up to Alaska with someone they both know and trust.

"Carlisle!" Bella exclaims, running out of the house to hug me. I hug her back briefly, and then I walk forward to greet Charlie as he shuffles out the door. The noise reminds me of Edward, as he hasn't made much progress since that first day. We've found that the bit he finds hardest is when whoever guided him outside leaves him. It breaks our hearts to see him so scared.

"Hey Carlisle," Charlie says gruffly, shaking my hand and flinching slightly at the cold. "How's Edward?"

I look behind me to see if Bella's with us, as I don't want her to hear this part. She's standing at the doorway, giving me a questioning look. "Bella..." Charlie mutters. "Why don't you go upstairs and finish packing?"

Bella rolls her eyes but makes her way towards the stairs. "Yes," She says sarcastically. "I'm going to go and finish the packing I told you I finished an hour ago."

Charlie chuckles, and then turns to me, waiting for my answer. "Edward is... terrified. He refuses to go to any blind school, so we've been putting all of our efforts together to help him. Rosalie got bored a while ago so she decided to learn brail, which he seems to enjoy, but he's terrified of walking on his own."

"Poor kid," Charlie murmurs, and I nod in agreement.

I sigh. "We hope Bella will help him. It's his birthday tomorrow, and even though he has blatantly told us he doesn't want presents... Well..."

He grins. "Well, don't let me keep you waiting. Bella!"

Bella comes bounding down the stairs, taking them two at a time. Surprisingly, she doesn't trip at the bottom. "Let's go."

The car ride is silent at first, the road flying away beneath my tires. "How is he?" She asks quietly, looking up at me in the dark car. My hands clench around the steering wheel tightly at her question. I'm not angry at her for asking the question; I'm angry she has a reason to ask it in the first place.

"That's a question you have to witness the answer to," I tell her, looking over at her. Bella cringes as I take my eyes away from the road; I don't blame her, at the speed I'm going. "I'm afraid the answer may upset you."

"I'm not upset he's blind," She answers quietly. "I'm upset he's blind."

I understand what she means entirely. Bella isn't bothered by the fact he is blind, she is bothered by the fact that he is terrified of his blindness. She is upset for him. "Alice told me he thought I would leave him."

"You won't," I reply. I know it to be the truth without asking her. The fact she is coming to Alaska to help him cope says enough.

She shakes her head, tears forming in her eyes. "I'll never leave him," She mumbles. "Especially for something that's not his fault. I love him. I love him with his blindness, not despite it."

I smile widely at this. Even though I already knew it to be true, there is something about hearing it directly from her lips. She is one special girl. "Go to sleep," I tell her. "It will be a long drive, and I expect you'll want to see him as soon as we get there."

She grins, and she's asleep within the hour. By the time we arrive back in Denali, it's the morning. I pull up into the drive with Bella already awake beside me to see Alice and Emmett already standing where Jasper and Kate were standing the first time we did this. Everyone else is sitting or standing to the side while Esme guides Edward outside. "Bella," I say firmly just before we exit the car. "When we get out the car we're going to stand like Alice and Emmett are standing. Everyday we tell him to go to a different person, by scent or by hearing. Today there's no wind so he won't be able to smell you for a minute or two."

She nods and grins as I've already warned her about how Edward's current condition may affect her. We exit the car together, and we go and stand close to Emmett and Alice. Alice grins at Bella, while Emmett is itching to give her a bear hug. Esme slowly walks away from Edward, and tears form in Bella's eyes as she sees her love's terrified expression. "Okay, Edward," Jasper shouts with barely contained glee. "Walk towards Bella."

At this Edward's head snaps up, looking in Jasper's direction. "Really? She's here?"

"Say something," Alice mutters to Bella. Bella quickly snaps out of the trance she was in.

"Of course I'm here," Bella cries, trying to control her excitement. "They wouldn't lie to you."

My son turns towards Bella's voice, and begins to walk with more confidence than ever before. He keeps his hands in front of him, and even though he only heard her voice once he is walking straight towards her. Once he is two steps away from her, we can see the glee and excitement on his face as he can feel her warmth. Raising his hands, he puts them on her shoulders and then gently strokes her cheek with one hand, wiping a small tear away in the proccess. Without a second though, he pulls her in for a hug, and then to Emmett's delight, a passionate kiss. It seems he doesn't even have to see her to know where her lips are.

"Bella," He whispers, over and over again. "Bella."

"I love you," Bella sobs into his shirt as he kisses her hair. "I love you."

"I love you too," Edward murmurs, love saturating every syllable. "I love you."


End file.
